Chapter 271: Horus (5)
Han-Yeol approached Mariam slowly and examined her wound.
Some might have thought there was nothing he could do by observing the wound, but he had read numerous medical textbooks to enhance his healing skills. In other words, he was probably the most knowledgeable person among them when it came to medicine at that moment.
[Hmm… They don't seem to have used any potion or anything. It will be fine if we remove these and heal them,] he remarked.
[Ah… That's a relief,] Mujahid said, finally feeling reassured after hearing Han-Yeol's diagnosis of Mariam's wound.
The terrorists remained rooted in their spot while Han-Yeol, Tayarana, and Mujahid leisurely chatted.
[How?!]
[What happened?!]
[She should've been taken care of by the Shabab! Why is she here?!]
The First Sword of God, who was also in attendance, was visibly astonished.
While the various terrorist factions vied for dominance, they all shared the common objective of overthrowing the Egyptian government established by Phaophator. This shared goal fostered a sense of brotherhood among them, even though they had no formal alliance.
Even for the Sword of God, mobilizing all the terrorist cells within Egypt under their banner had proven impossible. Expanding their influence to encompass all of Africa seemed even more daunting.
However, this time, they had achieved the seemingly impossible thanks to Shabab's confident proclamation of their intent to eliminate Tayarana once and for all. They claimed to possess a 'new power' capable of guaranteeing the death of the Heir of Egypt, serving as the catalyst for a continent-wide terrorist movement.
But the question remained: why was she, presumed to be deceased in the Faiyum hunting grounds, standing before them?
[Are you talking about this guy?]
Thud!
Tayarana asked as she tossed something in front of the First Sword of God.
[What's this?!]
[The Bomber!]
The terrorists were shocked when they saw the severed head rolling on the ground. 'Damn it! This is a significant setback...!'
Tayarana was not only alive and well, but the Bomber was dead. Moreover, they had failed to capture Mariam in time, thanks to the sacrifices of the Horus raid party members. But the worst of all was...
'I'm not sure how, but it seems that Mujahid, that bastard, has reawakened as a Master Rank Hunter...! Damn it!'
Egypt now had twelve Master Rank Hunters.
Unfortunately, the First Sword of God realized that there was an even worse scenario unfolding.
'I'm... going to die here...'
It didn't matter whether the plan had succeeded or not; facing a Master Rank Hunter emitting such intense bloodlust rendered any advantage they had in numbers meaningless, despite losing more than half of their forces.
Tayarana surveyed her surroundings and murmured, [Karim... Nasir... Usman…]
Her precious subordinates, with whom she had spent most of her life as a Hunter, now lay motionless on the cold floor. Tayarana felt a deep sadness gripping her heart, as if it might crush her if she didn't address it.
Slowly, the overwhelming sadness began to transform into a different emotion—anger. Fortunately, the target of her wrath, bubbling up from deep inside her heart, stood right in front of her.
[I will…kill them all. Don’t you dare interfere in this,] Tayarana said as she drew her sword.
Shiiing!
[Tara…] Han-Yeol called out to her.
[What, Han-Yeol?]
She flinched at the sound of her name, worried that he might ask for her to forgive, that he would suggest punishment without resorting to killing.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, she probably wouldn't have forgiven Han-Yeol if he had made such a request. Fortunately, her concerns were unfounded, as his words were the opposite of what she feared.
[Don't spare a single one for my sake.]
[Yes, noonim! Take revenge on my behalf too!] Mujahid added.
[I will.]
Her expression brightened slightly as she walked toward the terrorists, her gaze shifting between them and her fallen subordinates.
[W-We surrender!]
[Spare us! We will accept any punishment as long as you spare our lives!]
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even as terrorists, they weren't foolish enough to confront a Master Rank Hunter directly. The effects of the drug they had taken were beginning to wear off, so they promptly discarded their weapons and surrendered the moment Tayarana started approaching them.
It was a rather ironic sight, seeing them feigning good citizenship and begging for leniency. After all, languishing in prison was preferable to death, as it provided an opportunity for escape. In fact, many terrorists had managed to break free when the terrorist movement began, thanks to prisons being among the first targets.
The terrorists knelt, pleading with Tayarana, all the while chuckling inwardly, confident that she would yield to them. Unfortunately for them, nothing could stop Tayarana now that she was consumed by rage.
[I don’t want to.]
Whoosh!
[N-No!]
[Spare us!]
She cut down those at the front before plunging into the group of terrorists.
Tayarana was determined to eliminate each and every one of them, and she ensured that they met their end in the most merciless, gruesome, and painful manner imaginable.
The goddess had finally unleashed her wrath.
***
The terrorism situation underwent a complete transformation once the news of Tayarana's survival spread throughout Egypt and across the entirety of Africa. African nations effectively suppressed the small terrorist cells causing trouble within their borders before dispatching their military forces to assist Egypt. These reinforcements played a crucial role in quelling the terrorists wreaking havoc in the country.
The combined forces successfully helped Egypt regain control of Port Said, one of the three vital cities in the country. The Zeroth Sword of God also met his demise in the line of duty. Port Said was spared from destruction as the Egyptian Military strategically engaged the terrorists along the coastlines, minimizing damage to the city.
[We surrender!]
[P-Please spare us!]
The remaining terrorists could be heard pleading desperately.
Ultimately, the main terrorist groups, led by Raiden under the Sword of God, were defeated in Cairo. All of their influential figures promptly surrendered to the Egyptian Military, bringing an end to the turmoil.
However, this wasn't the end of the story. While the battles may have ceased and people returned to their homes, Egypt's fight against terrorism continued.
[I hereby ban the extremist religion practiced by the terrorists, and all forms of it, whether religious or cultural, will be prohibited from now on. Anyone wishing to continue practicing this violent extremist religion is free to leave Egypt and Africa immediately,] declared President Phaophator.
He utilized the recent terrorist attacks as a basis to outlaw and wage war against the extremist religion.
Surprisingly, his decision garnered praise from the younger generation on social media.
[Egypt D Site]
[I support His Excellency's choice to outlaw that religion! I was going to do something about them myself if he didn't do this! How can they resort to terrorism just because they want their ways instilled in others?! What nonsense is that?!]
[NOPE! The terrorists can't have their ways!]
[We have freedom of worship in this country! Most of us might believe in our ancient beliefs, but we are a secular country welcoming to all!]
[But those dogs dared to mess with the freedom our country offered! Those crazy bastards!]
[I hope they expel all of those lunatics as soon as possible or just make them rot in jail!]
[I know not all of them are crazy, but I'm tired of helping them...]
[Yes! We can't let them get away with what they did! We need to get rid of future threats!]
[Terrorists out!]
[Choose between your religion and your country!]
Egypt might have operated as a monarchy, but it functioned more like a democracy where the voices of the people were heard.
However, this time, the overwhelming majority of the people supported the expulsion of the extremists and anyone adhering to their religion. This gave President Phaophator the authority to expel them from Egypt and the entire African continent.
Countries sharing a similar faith with the extremists or benefiting from Egypt's destabilization were quick to criticize Egypt's actions. Even neutral nations expressed concern about potential human rights violations.
Nevertheless, Phaophator remained resolute in his stance. In fact, he doubled down on his position during an interview with the British news station, BBD[1].
[All of these countries criticizing Egypt for human rights abuses remained silent when we were the victims of a coordinated terrorist attack. Now, I would like to respond to the leaders of the countries criticizing Egypt. I dare you to criticize me to my face, cowards,] President Phaophator declared, taking an offensive stance against those who had criticized Egypt.
He reiterated Egypt's commitment to proceed with the ban and expulsion of the extremists, making it clear that there would be no changes.
This announcement triggered a movement across Egypt aimed at purging the country of extremists. The movement spread rapidly throughout Africa. People practicing the same religion as the terrorists were expelled, and places of worship associated with that religion were destroyed.
Ironically, the countries that had previously refused to aid Egypt during the crisis now took the lead in efforts to eliminate extremists from the continent. They even deployed available manpower to assist in the reconstruction of Egypt, all in the hope of avoiding the wrath of Phaophator now that the continent was stabilizing.
Bam!
[I told you to get rid of this filth!]
[Good sir! Our household has served this faith for generations! How can we abandon it overnight?]
[Hey, old man, are you picking a fight right now? Don't you know how many innocent people died because of your religion?]
[But we were not a part of that! They are extremists, unlike us normal believers! We are not all terrorists!]
Their arguments made sense, as there were still numerous believers who peacefully practiced the religion. Egypt, being a secular country, guaranteed freedom of worship, and various faiths coexisted harmoniously. However, the terrorists had caused far too much damage to the country and claimed too many innocent lives.
Chwak!
The soldier produced a piece of paper and displayed it to the old man.
[Do you know what this is, old man?]
[H-How should I know?]
[These are records of you funding and supplying the terrorists! Do you still deny it?!]
[N-No…! T-There's no way!]
[Silence! What are you guys doing? Arrest this old man and burn this house to the ground!]
[Yes, sir!]
Clang! Bam! Bam! Clang!
[Nooo! Noooo!]
Egypt remained a secular country with freedom of worship enshrined in its constitution, making it challenging for the government to arbitrarily persecute individuals solely based on their beliefs or practice of a particular faith.
However, Phaophator was determined to eliminate any potential future threats, and he utilized all the power at his disposal to ensure not only the country but the entire continent would be free of them.
Egypt also had a law aimed at preventing cults from abusing the country's freedom of worship. Phaophator exploited this legal loophole to classify the religion as a cult and proceeded to dismantle its places of worship.
As for the believers, anyone could have skeletons in their closet, and this held true for the followers of this religion as well. The Egyptian government used the smallest infractions they could find to charge believers with the maximum sentence allowed by the constitution, either imprisoning them or expelling them from the country.
Phaophator had initially sought to unite the entire continent against the common enemy of terrorism. However, the recent terrorist attacks had eroded whatever patience he had left, leading to the mass expulsion and imprisonment of all followers of the religion.
The religion was being systematically eradicated from the African continent, and progress was being made in this endeavor.
Of course, the countries criticizing Egypt continued to do so, but Phaophator paid little heed to their opinions.
1. I know, it’s funny. Yes, I know. 👈
Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l